Griffey never wanted to play for Yankees after childhood experience

Hall of Fame slugger Ken Griffey Jr. never wanted to suit up for the New York Yankees following a childhood experience he had while visiting his father, Ken Griffey Sr., who played for the team in the early 1980s.

"I came up to visit my dad and it was just me and him," Griffey said in MLB Network's "Junior" documentary. "A security guard comes up and says, 'Hey, George (Steinbrenner) doesn't want anybody in the dugout.' My dad was like, 'What? He's my son.' He goes, 'All right, hey, go in my locker, but before you go, look at third base.' It's Graig Nettles' son taking ground balls at third base."

Griffey added: "At that time, my dad was 38 years old. He was like, 'I ain't fighting this no more. I got someone a little younger, and a little bit better.'"

The 13-time All-Star acknowledged that the incident changed his perspective about baseball's most famous franchise.

"There's certain things that a dad drills into you as a kid that just sticks with you," he said. "And (beating the Yankees) was one of them."

In the documentary, video footage captures Griffey telling a Yankees fan that he won't leave the Seattle Mariners to play for the Bronx Bombers, adding that he would retire if they were the only team offering him a contract.

Griffey finished his career with a .311 batting average and 36 home runs in 133 regular-season contests against New York.